started meds in may of 2004 t cells 12 viral load 44000.00. truvada sustiva and all ois. been coming back <50 since using ultra sensitive test for some reason this last time they used regular one and now it says less than 400 was this a mistake by lab? shouldnt have they used the ultra sensitive test like they been using? and also my tcells went from 133 to 123 cd8% from 9.8 to8.8 is this something to be worried about. thank you Mya God Bless

Thanks for your post.

This is really just a lab requisition issue- both tests measure HIV viral loads; they differ only by what is the lower limit of detection. In your case, both tests read undetectable; indeed for most patients, a viral load less than 400 indicates that the viral load is also less than 50. Having the ultrasensitive test provides an extra degree of confidence, but I wouldn't think that you need to have the test repeated.

As for your CD4 and CD8 cells- these changes are essentially insignificant. I'd interpret the findings to say that your immune system hasn't changed much between the two tests.

I hope this helps, BY